A Whitley man was sentenced to nine more weeks in jail because he agreed to provide a ladder when a friend told him he was locked out.

Casey Guiblin, 22, of Sycamore Road, admitted going equipped for burglary with a ladder on June 26 by video link at Reading Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

Paul Cantrill, defending, said Guiblin offered to help out by going to get his ladder when asked by a friend who said he was locked out.

However Mr Cantrill said the defendant admitted in his police interview he began to suspect it was “dodgy” and had simply put the ladder up to the open upstairs window and then walked away. He had not broken in or stolen anything.

Guiblin was already serving a sentence for a previous offence and still has five months to serve.

The magistrates sentenced him to 12 weeks’ custody reduced to nine for his timely guilty plea to be served consecutively.